The Curse of True Love
by OnceUponAStorybrooke
Summary: Regina finally decides to go after her happy ending. But to do that she's going to need the help of Emma. Set sometime in Season 2, before ep 12 (In the Name of the Brother).
1. Love's Not So Easy

**A/AN: I don't own any of the characters of Once Upon a Time (unfortunately). This is my first fanfic so please review!**

"Emma, I love you, do you know that?" he says. We are walking through the forest, as he often like to. He just seemed to have such a connection to nature, almost as though he had lived in a forest before himself.

"Yes," I reply. "I do."

"I will never let go of you. I promise."

"Forever?"

"Forever." As the word slips from his lips, a portal forms under my feet. I grab him, gripping him for dear life. Falling through that portal would mean pain, hardship, and most of all, heartbreak.

"Please, please hold on to me." I plead. He holds me for as long as he can.

"Emma, Emma I'm sorry. But I can't hold on anymore!"

"No, please! You promised!"

"I know I promised but I'm too much of a coward! I love you Emma."

And with that, Neal lets go of my hand.

* * *

I woke with a start, gasping for breath. There I go again, dreaming about Neal. He's gone, I told myself repeatedly. Why couldn't I just accept that. I hadn't dreamt of Neal since I had gotten out of jail seven years ago. I thought I had let him go.

As I did every morning, I went to Granny's so Henry and I could get some breakfast before he ran off to school.. I was glad that I had told Henry about his father, about how he had used me. Then, at least, I could be open to him about this dream. It was so much better than the alternative: lying to Henry. If I did that, I'd be just as bad as Regina. The lying to Henry had to stop at some point.

"Hey, kiddo," I greeted Henry as he walked in. "How're things?"

"They're good, but you look like your night could've gone a lot better. What happened?"

I sigh. The kid's observant, I'll give him that. "Nightmares. It's a recurring nightmare. I thought I had outgrew it, but I guess not."

"What was it about?"

"It… It was about your father. I haven't dreamt about him since I got out of jail. Why would I start dreaming about him again?"

"Maybe it's because you still love him. I mean, you spent all of your energy on finding you parents. Now that you found them, maybe now your heart is looking to find its one true love."

"Henry, I don't think what your father and I had was true love. I told you this before."

"Just because it wasn't easy doesn't mean it wasn't meant to be. Who knows, maybe he'll come around."

"If that happens the only thing that will come from that is my fist in his face," I laugh. Henry laughs with me, but I can tell that something's bothering him. Before I can ask him about it, he leaves for school.

As I'm walking out of Granny's, I run into one of the last people I ever want to see: Regina.

"Good morning, Emma. I was just wondering if Henry was around."

"Sorry, Regina but he just left for school." Here it comes, I thought. The rude retort that was sure to follow.

"Oh, I'll just talk to him later then." She sighed and began to walk out the door. What was going on with her? This was so out of character for her.

"Regina, wait!" I reached out to stop her from leaving. "Is- Is everything okay?"

"Now why would something be wrong?" she barked. Now there was the Regina I knew.

Before I could answer her with something along the lines of "Okay well sorry for caring," she began crying. I didn't know what to do, so I did the first thing that came to my mind.

"Regina, I was going to make some hot chocolate at home. Would you like to join me? We can talk. If you want."

"Yes," she sobbed. "I would love that."

* * *

The ride back to mine and my parents' place was, in a word, awkward. She didn't stop crying, and neither of us said anything. When we finally got there, I noticed that Mary Margaret was home.

She must've noticed that Regina was crying because as soon as we walked in, she turned to me and said, "Hey, I was just gonna go out. If Charming comes home, tell him to find me."

"Will do." I gave her a sincere look of gratitude as she left the apartment.

"So, Regina, I'm gonna start the hot chocolate. Whenever you feel like talking, you can go ahead. I'm listening." It was silent for a very long time.

"Do you ever feel like you'll never find true love?" she finally asked.

"Well, I don't know, I think there is someone out there for me, somewhere." I began thinking about Neal again. Stop it! I told myself.

"I missed my chance you know," Regina told me.

"Missed your chance at what? True love?"

"True love. Happiness. Everything." She started sobbing again.

"Regina, what's this really about? What's with all this talk about true love?"

"I slept with a pirate!" she confessed. The sobbing began again, heavier this time.

"Woah woah wait. Slow down. You know a pirate?"

"Says the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."

"Good point. So why does it matter if you slept with a pirate?" I still didn't see why this mattered.

"I thought what this pirate and I had... I thought it was true love. I thought... I thought that he'd stay." Now this I understood.

"So he left you?" The question was met with more sobs, which I took as a yes. "You know, I may be just the person to talk to."

"Henry's father. He left you." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. So I know all about this."

"No you don't understand. I had my chance at true love, but I walked away from it."

"What do you mean you walked away? Are you talking about Daniel?"

"No!" She screamed, astonished that I would make that assumption. "This was someone else."

"Who was it? Is he in Storybrooke?" The pained expression on her face seemed to answer my question. "Regina, I'm so sorry."

"If you think he's dead, you're wrong. At least I hope..." Sobs again.

None of this was making any sense. "Wait, Regina, what- or who, rather- are you talking about? Who is this mystery guy?"

"That's the problem. I don't know his name. I don't know where he is. I don't know anything about him."

"So let me get this straight. You know who your true love is but you don't know anything about him?"

"It's a... Long story."

"Well I had plenty of time. I'll tell Mary Margaret to pick up Henry from school." I texted Mary Margaret:

Me: Hey. Pick up Henry for me. Take him to Granny's for a while. Or the park or something.

MM: Okay. Is everything okay with Regina?

Me: I'm about to find out.

"So what happened? And start from the beginning. I'm listening."

**A/AN: Well there you go! My first fanfic! Let me know what you think of it. The story will actually go somewhere I promise lol. I hope you enjoyed it and remember to leave a review :)**


	2. A Special Mission

I listened intently as Regina began to tell me the story of her lost love.

"I guess it all started with me. I hated my life as queen. All I could ever think about was revenge. Revenge on Snow White." She looked at me hesitantly. Perhaps she thought that I'd be offended by this. I waited for her to continue. "Anyway, I was... Troubled, I suppose. I walked over to the balcony of my castle, only hoping to find answers somewhere. I didn't. I spent so much of my energy on finding answers that I didn't notice when the balcony began to break. I fell, and at the time, I thought it was to my death. But before I hit the ground, everything stopped. A little green fairy had stopped the fall. Perhaps you know about her; her name is Tinkerbell. We talked for a while, just us girls. She was so... Kind. I told her why I was the way I was. The way I still am. She told me I could still have my happy ending. To be honest I thought she was crazy. But I followed her anyway. She led me to a bar. Through the window, she showed me a man. 'See that man? The one with the lion tattoo?' she asked. 'That's your happy ending.' Then she began to leave. She told me that it was up to me to choose my happy ending. I almost walked in. For a brief moment, I pictured my life with this man. I saw a little baby that I could call my own, and I saw him coming home everyday from work. And for the first time in my life since Daniel died, I felt happiness. Then just as quickly as it came, the feeling left me. I ran. Away from the bar, away from the man, and away from happiness. I thought that I would never be happy unless I killed Snow White. Now I know I was wrong. I should've walked into that bar and met that man. Maybe then we could've had a happy ending."

Neither of us said anything for a long time. Regina, realizing exactly what it was that made her unhappy, had broken into another fit of tears. I took some time to think about what I had just heard. Regina could've had everything anyone wants in life: a happy ending. And yet she walked away from it all, making her life troubled and unhappy. Her story almost reminded me of the dream I had about Neal. Regina's happy ending was so close, but it was suddenly ripped away from her. Just like mine was. _Stop it!_ I tried to tell myself. _There was no way Neal was you happy ending! That wasn't true love!_ Then I remembered what Henry had said to me about happy endings and true love.

"You know," I told Regina, "a very wise person once told me 'Just because it wasn't easy doesn't mean it wasn't meant to be.'"

"Who told you that?" she asked.

"Henry."

"Always the optimist, isn't he?" she commented. And for the first time all day, Regina began to smile.

"So, I have a question. But only if you've calmed down."

"Well, I can't promise anything, but I guess we'll just have to see."

"Why were you looking for Henry this morning? What were you gonna tell him, that you and a random pirate hooked up?"

"You don't know the irony in that sentence. The 'random pirate' happens to be Captain Hook," she laughed.

Her face suddenly turned serious again, and I prepared for tears that never came. "I was going to tell Henry… I was going to tell him the story of this mystery man. And then, I was planning on looking for him."

"Look for him… With Henry?" There was no way this woman was taking my son from me. I didn't care how desperate she was.

"No, of course not. You wouldn't have let me take him anyway." The woman knew me well. "Besides, I know for a fact that he was not affected by the curse."

"How do you know that? What did you have Sidney look for a man with a lion tattoo?" She looked at me sheepishly. "Wait, you did what!? Regina you can't just- Wait. You said the man wasn't affected by the curse."

"Yes. I did."

"So that means… He's in the Enchanted Forest?"

"Yes, he is. And I need to find out how to get there."

"Okay, well let's think. Who do we know that would be able to find a way out of Storybrooke and back to the Enchanted Forest?" I paused briefly before realizing the obvious solution. "Gold. We have to go to Gold."

"Don't you think I already tried that? Besides, he's too busy 'planning a trip' to help anyone else other than Belle."

"What do you mean he's 'planning a trip'"?

"If I knew, I'd put a stop to it. But it certainly doesn't involve going back to the Forest."

"Ummm," I thought for a moment, "can you think of anything magical? Something that could create a portal of some sort…" I watched as her eyes suddenly brightened with a solution.

"A magic bean," she whispered.

"That's perfect, Regina! Do you have one of these magic beans?"

"No, I don't. I do, however, know where I can get one. But, in order to do that, I need your help."

"You need _my_ help!? Regina, I don't know anything about magic."

"I know, Emma. But what I need you to do is nothing magical at all. In fact, this task may be right up your alley."

"And what's that?"

"I need you to steal from a pirate."

* * *

"Why did I agree to do this again?" I asked Regina as she prepared me for my "special mission". "If Henry ever finds out about this -"

"He won't," she assured me. "Henry is going to stay the night at my house and I will make sure that he doesn't know." She paused briefly, looking at me. "Why did you agree to do this Miss Swan? I was actually wondering that myself."

I thought for what felt like a very long time. Why was I helping Regina? All she ever did for me was threaten me and almost poison me. Regina's story was so much like my own, as far as happy endings go. We almost had it all: happiness, true love. The only difference between our stories was that Regina could do something to change that. As soon as I thought it, I knew that was the case. Of course, I couldn't tell Regina that.

"What can I say, Regina, I'm just a fan of true love I guess." That wasn't a complete lie.

"No there's more. I can feel it."

I sighed before telling Regina the whole story. "I guess your story just reminded me… of my life," I was finally able to tell someone other than Henry how I felt about Neal. And even Henry didn't know the whole truth. "I still love Neal. I thought he was my happy ending I guess... but he wasn't. Both of us could've had our happy ending. And both of us lost it. But you, Regina, you can change that. You can have your happy ending."

She didn't say anything for a very long time. Instead she just stared at me, trying to read my expression.

"Well," she told me, "we aren't exactly sure if I'll be able to change my happy ending or not."

"I guess I better not mess up then," I laughed.

"No," she smiled. "I suppose not."

* * *

I walked through the door of The Rabbit Hole, searching for my victim among the crowd. Just as I was about to walk out and tell Regina of my failure, I spotted him. Well, not him, but I spotted his hook. I ran through the plan in my head quickly before approaching him.

I found a seat close enough so he could hopefully see me and prayed that he would notice me. Luckily, Regina was right about the tight dress. I could _feel_ his eyes search me up and down before he had even walked over to me. I tried my best to stay indifferent to his presence as he walked over to me.

"Some rum, for the lady," I heard him tell the bartender. I took this as my cue to "notice" him.

"Rum's kind of a strange choice to order for someone wouldn't you say?" I said as I looked over to him. But before either of us could say anymore, it was like the world had stopped. Hook was attractive, and not just your average guy-you-pick-up-at-the-bar attractive. He was supermodel material. Before I could let those thoughts take me anywhere, I reminded myself why I was here.

"Well?" I asked him. He still had yet to reply to me.

"Sorry, love. I was distracted by your beauty." One of his tricks. Regina had warned me early on about him, before we had even formed a solid plan for me to steal the bean. He knew how to talk to make a woman melt. It was my job not to fall for it. The last thing Regina needed was me falling for her ex-lover. "And rum never hurts."

"No I suppose not. So tell me, 'love', do you have a name?"

"Aye, I do. But that comes with a price."

"A price!?" I asked him incredulously. "What's the price?"

"A kiss perhaps?" He had to be kidding me. Is _this_ how he planned to win me over? I decided to play along, for the sake of Regina. But a small part of me felt myself falling for his tricks.

"A kiss. And, what would the price be to, say, spend the rest of the night with you?" I asked suggestively.

"Ah, you see, love, that price is decided as it is paid," he told me as though he knew I would ask that question all along. Of course he expected that. He must've picked up a lot of girls before, his ego was blown way out of proportion.

"Well, I'm prepared to pay the price," I offered. "But first." I kissed him. It was just a quick kiss, the longer kiss, I knew, would come later. But even that small kiss set off a spark of electricity between us. The reaction was shocking. I had never felt this spark with Neal, never mind a complete stranger in a bar. I had written off this type of kiss as something of fairytales. But, I was learning that not everything that seems to be false is fiction.

"So, what's your name?"

"Killian. Killian Jones. Of course people tend to know me by my moniker, Captain Hook."

"Well, Hook, looks like you just found yourself some company for the night. I'm Emma Swan." And I would never admit it to Regina, but a part of me was looking forward to the night. A part of me was falling for his lies. A part of me was falling in love.


	3. Little Thief

Hook led me to his ship later on that night, but not before some passionate kissing outside the bar. I told myself that I was just acting, that this was all for Regina, but there was no way I could've fooled anyone with that lie.

"Here we are love; this is my beautiful Jolly Roger."

"It's gorgeous," I gushed. I wasn't that into boats, but I spent enough time picking up guys to know that in order to keep them interested, you had to talk about things they were interested in.

Before I knew it we were kissing again. I could feel him leading me into the ship, and into a room, his bedroom, I assumed. Before long, his hand and hook found the zipper of my dress and was slowly pulling it down. Following his lead, I found the buttons of his shirt, which was already partially unbuttoned. I moaned as he began to kiss my bare skin. He obviously had experience with this, and I'd be lying to say I didn't have that much experience.

* * *

I woke up not knowing where I was at first. Slowly, as my mind began to wake up, I remembered the night before. Hook. I had fallen in love with Hook. I was at his ship, the Jolly Roger. I met him at the bar because Regina needed my help. I suddenly sat up, remembering my real purpose for being here.

I checked to make sure Hook was completely asleep before getting out of bed. I found my dress on the floor and slipped into it. I checked all of Hook's drawers, looking for the bag of beans that Regina had described. I finally found the bag and started out the door of the bedroom.

"Just where do you think you're going, love?" I heard a familiar voice from behind me.

Before I turned around I hid the bag in my jacket pocket. "I was just leaving. Is it suddenly a crime to leave in the morning?" I questioned him.

"No," he said. "It's not. It is, however, a crime to steal. And love, you should've known you wouldn't have been able to get away with this."

"Well, 'love,' I already have." I was closer to the door than he was. I began to run, and even though I had heels on, I could still run just as fast as the next guy. And then Hook was in front of me. How, I had no idea, but I knew for certain I was trapped.

"How the hell did you-"

"Oh, I know this ship like the back of my," he looked at his hook, "well, you know."

"You son of a-"

"Careful, love, you wouldn't want to make me angry. This could be an easy confrontation, or a painful one. Now, give me back my beans and we can pretend this never happened."

I almost gave them to him. But I thought of Regina. I thought of her happy ending and how desperately she needed a happy ending. And I thought of Henry, and I thought of what he would say to me right now: A hero wouldn't give up. So I stood my ground and stared right into Hook's eyes, clearly showing my decision.

"Very well, lass. I didn't want to have to do this but you've left me no choice. Mr. Smee!" A rag was placed over my nose and mouth. Before I could think of fighting back, my body weakened. "Take our little thief here to the guest rooms." That was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

I woke up, once again with no memory of where I was or why I was there. I was blindfolded and was chained to something. My leather jacket was also nowhere to be found.

"About time you woke up, little thief." I heard Hook say. And just like that I remembered what he had done.

"Hook you moron, let me out."

"Well, love, I would but I'm afraid that you stole from me. And you now must deal with the consequences."

"Consequences? What are you talking about? I took some beans, big freaking deal. You have your beans back. Aren't you satisfied?"

"No, I'm not." I could hear the smirk in his voice. "I want to know how you knew about those beans. And I better hear answers, or you may regret it."

"Ha! You wouldn't hurt me Hook."

"What makes you say that, love?"

"You. Don't. Have. It. In. You. You put on the tough pirate look for everyone, but I see beyond that. I see the sailor that's waiting to break free. Isn't that right, Killian?" Just as I had hoped, my reading of him was correct. He was speechless. I continued. "I heard the way you introduced yourself. You didn't start with Hook. You started with Killian. You want people to know you as you, not as the person others made you out to be. Well, guess what, Killian? I can see the real you. And he wouldn't hurt me." Every word I said was true. I could see right through his disguise. He just wanted to be seen for who he was, just like the rest of us.

"You really are observant, aren't you little thief?"

"Reading people is what I do. Of course, it'd be a little easier to read you if you took this blindfold off."

"I will," was all he said.

"You will? What do you mean? Take my blindfold off now." Before I could argue any further. He was kissing me again. As he kissed me, he unlocked my chains. The second my hands were free, they found him. I couldn't get close enough to him. He seemed to sense that, and pulled in even closer to me. When he finally pulled away from me, he took the blindfold off and put something in my hand.

"Until we meet again, little thief." I looked at my hands and saw the bag of beans.

"Thank you, Killian," I said as I looked up. But he had already left.

**A/AN: Thanks to everyone who's reading this story! I hate writing Hook as the bad guy but this was just too good of a CS moment to pass up, so I hope you guys like it. Next chapter will focus on Emma's relationship with her parents so stay tuned! :)**


	4. Paternal Concern

Mary Margaret and David had been questioning me ever since I walked through the door of our place. It was only then that I realized that I hadn't told either of them where I was going.

"Emma! What happened are you hurt?" David had asked me immediately. Despite being the same age, David was the fatherly figure I had always asked for. But right now I wished he wasn't. I knew exactly what he was going to say when I told him how I had spent my night.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I assured them. Mary Margaret led me to the couch where the three of us sat down.

"I texted you about two hours after you brought Regina here. When you didn't reply, Henry and I went straight to Regina's house, and she showed us the note you had written saying that Henry was staying at her house for the night. We were worried sick. Regina said she knew why you had left and that you would explain it to us later. So we've been looking all over town for you, but no one had seen you since you left Regina's house, an hour before I had texted you." I could see the concern on both of their faces, and I instantly felt like a guilty child facing her parents after sneaking out. And I realized that that was exactly what I was.

"I'm sorry, Mary Margaret. And not just for not telling you guys, but also for what you're about to hear."

"Emma, I won't ask again," David said authoritatively. "What happened?" I internally smiled at their parental concern and began to tell them Regina's story. Before I got into my part in the story, I let them take in what they just heard.

"Poor Regina," Mary Margaret whispered. David said nothing as he held his true love in his arms, trying to comfort her. "But what does that have to do with you?"

"Regina asked me for her help to find her true love. She said that he wasn't affected by the curse, so he is still in the Enchanted Forest. The only way to get there that we could think of was magic beans and the only person who has magic beans was-"

"Captain Hook." David cut me off.

"Yes, you know him?"

"Not personally, but I've heard of him. He's quite the ladies' man, so I hear." At least Hook's - I mean Killian's - reputation preceded him. "Wait a second. Emma?" I could see David starting to put the pieces together. The look on his face said it all. I decided to play dumb for a little bit longer.

"Yes, Dad?"

"Don't 'Dad' me right now Emma."

"Charming what is it? What's wrong?" Mary Margaret was asking frantically. She still hadn't realized what David had.

"Emma, how _exactly_ did you get those beans from Hook?"

"I'd much rather hear what you think." David already knew what had gone on last night. I just didn't want to be the one to break the news to Mary Margaret. Luckily, just as David was about to start talking, she put two and two together.

"Emma! Did you sleep with him to get him to give you the beans!?" Both of them were shocked with me, but I didn't really see why.

"No!" I told them. "I slept with him so I could _steal_ the beans!"

"And he let you get away? Last time I checked, pirates don't usually let thieves get away." David informed me.

"Well, at first he wasn't going to but…" I paused. I wasn't prepared to tell myself this, never mind tell my parents.

"What is it, Emma?" Mary Margaret asked me lovingly. It was the love, the pure and true love for me after what I had done, that made me slip my secret.

"I think he loves me."

"Do you love him?" my parents asked at the same time.

"Yes," I told them. I was relieved to finally be honest with myself. "I do love him."

"Emma, what happened? Did you get the beans?" Regina asked me as soon as I walked through the door.

"Yeah I did. What now?" I asked her. Regina's eyes had lit up, and it was the happiest I'd seen her since - well, it was the happiest I'd seen her, period.

"Now," she began, "now I'm going home."

"Mom?" I heard Henry's familiar voice from the doorway. Regina and I both looked in his direction, but I could tell from his tone that he was talking to Regina. "Where are you going? Are you... Leaving me?" The look on his face was so hurt, so betrayed, that I knew Regina would cave and tell him everything.

"No, Henry, of course I'm not leaving you," she assured him. "I just need to back to the Enchanted Forest for a little bit, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can."

As soon as the words "Enchanted Forest" were said I knew there was no going back. Henry got the look of adventure on his face that was impossible to get rid of. "Enchanted Forest? Can I come?" Regina looked at me with the same look of concern I was sure was on my face. I weighed the advantages and disadvantages in my head. If Henry stayed, he'd be safe, but there was no way to make sure Regina would be. If we went—and I did me _we_, there was no way Henry was going without me—then I could ensure that Regina got her happy ending. I couldn't be sure that Henry would be safe. Then I realized that Henry would not only have Regina to protect him, but would also have me, the Savior. And before long I had made my decision.

"Alright, kid. You can go. But on one condition." Both Regina and Henry stared at me. Regina was shocked, and if the matter wasn't so serious I might've laughed at her face. Henry's was one of pure joy and happiness, which told me that I had made the right I presented them with my price. "I need a day to get everything settled. Then we can go." Henry ran up and hugged me, and for the first time since Henry had dragged me to this sleepy town so long ago, Regina didn't seem the least bit jealous of me.

"Miss Swan—Emma, could I speak with you for a moment?" Regina asked me before Henry and I headed out the door.

"Um, sure." I looked at Henry. "Henry, can you wait in the car for me? I left your book in the backseat if you wanna read it."

"Yeah, thanks Mom!" he yelled as he ran to the bug.

Regina led me into her living room and motioned for me to sit down on her couch and I obeyed.

"Why did you let Henry come with me? You made it very clear that Henry was to stay here. So why the change of heart?"

"Well, I figured that I was going to go with him so I wouldn't be worried sick the entire time. And... I wanted to make sure you were okay too." For a long time neither of us said anything. It was the first time that I really showed Regina that, despite our differences, I actually cared for her. Sure, I mostly did it for Henry's benefit, but Regina wasn't all that evil.

"Well, thank you. For everything. You don't know how much this means to me…" What was I supposed to say to that? 'My pleasure'? I hardly wanted to go back to the land that I was sent away from. Everything I was doing, I was doing for Henry.

"I'd better go," I stuttered. "I don't want to keep Henry waiting."

"No, I'm sure he's going to come bursting through the door any minute now." And just as she predicted, two seconds later the little 11-year-old walked into the room.

"Mom, you coming?"

"Yep, sorry kiddo. Regina, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Why, of course," she remarked as she led us out the door. "We have a trip to plan."

**A/AN: Hope everyone's enjoying the story! I meant to post this earlier but I've just been so busy lately. This chapter was originally only going to be between Emma and her parents, but then I thought Emma needed a bit of credit for her mothering too. And don't worry Captain Swan fans! He'll be back soon! :)**


	5. More Than a Name

**A/AN: Special thanks to my friend who reads and reviews every chapter before I post it!**

Henry and I had gotten home not long after we left Regina's house. And we were halfway through the door when I realized Killian still had my leather jacket. That bastard, he probably did that on purpose. "Hey, kid, you wanna come with me someplace? I forgot something."

"Um sure I guess," Henry replied. "We're gonna see my mom tomorrow though. Can't you just ask her to bring it with her?" I forgot, he didn't know about Killian yet.

"I actually didn't leave my jacket at Regina's." Time to tell Henry the truth about where I was. Just maybe not the whole truth. "I left it on a pirate's ship. I went there to get the beans."

"Pirate?" he asked me. He got a look on his face that I hadn't seen since we ended Operation Cobra. It was the same look he got when he realized which fairy tale character a certain person was. "The only pirate in Storybrooke is Captain Hook. We're going to the Jolly Roger!" He had that same adventure-filled gleam in his eyes, making it impossible for me to make him stay home.

* * *

Henry began filling me in on everything he knew of Killian's life from his book as we drove to the dock. Quite a bit of it surprised me. Killian did not seem like the type of person who would spend 3 centuries seeking vengeance on the death of his lover. The thing that caught my attention the most, however, was the reason he stopped.

"Hook had been hunting down Rumpelstiltskin for centuries before their paths finally crossed. When they came face to face, a voice in his head, the voice of Milah, told him to stop. As the men stared at each other it was as though they were both hearing her voice. Because once the voice left, they simply nodded at each other and left. To this day, he still wonders what would have happened if he hadn't let him go." As Henry read the end of the story, I understood why Killian was the way he was. He had lost his lover, perhaps his true love. Just like me and Regina. The thought that Killian had already met and lost his true love made me sad, although why I didn't know.

"Okay, kid, here we are."

"Awesome!" Henry shouted as he opened the car door.

"Hold on there kiddo. I don't think you should come with me." The look on his face was crushed.

"But, Mom—" he started to complain.

"'But' nothing. Henry this is serious. Pirates are...unpredictable," I said as I thought of the way Killian had gone from vicious to kind and forgiving in a matter of minutes. "Promise me you'll wait in the car for this one."

"Fine, but if you're gone more than ten minutes I'm going to get you."

"Okay, see you in a few minutes."

* * *

_200 years earlier in Neverland..._

"Killian?" Baelfire asked his captain. "Why don't you have any children of your own?" It was quite a strange question for the lad to ask, and Killian would be lying to say the question didn't hurt him.

"Well, Bae, remember how I told you that my love had died?" He nodded. "She...she was pregnant when she died." There was a long pause. Neither seemed to know what to say, each was lost in their own thoughts. After a few minutes, Bae spoke quietly.

"You would've been a great father." Hook and Bae looked at each other, each with tears in their eyes. One grieving the loss of a child, the other grieving the loss of a father.

"Thank you, lad. That means a lot coming from you."

"I know it may be a strange question, but how far along was she?"

"She was 2 months...we were going to have a boy."

"A little Killian, Jr. would've been nice to have around." Bae began to smile thinking of the little boy.

"Not Killian, Jr.," Hook replied. "Neal. We were going to name him Neal." Hook left the deck, making sure that the Dark One's boy never saw him cry.

* * *

"If it isn't the little thief herself," Killian greeted me. "Long time, no see."

"Killian, how have you been?" I asked out of courtesy. If I were to get my jacket back, I'd have to try my best to stay on his good side. It took him a minute to reply, he was obviously still getting used to the fact that I called him Killian.

"I've been fine, love. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Perhaps I can give you a bit of pleasure..." he trailed off, raising his eyebrows.

"Not now, sorry. My kid's here, and that's not something I'd want him to walk in on." Killian's features dropped, almost like he was...sad? It was exactly how I had felt when I had first heard of his Milah.

"You have a child?" I nodded. "Does his father know of your, um, visit to me last night?" He asked me warily.

"No, his father doesn't even know he exists. But it's much better that way."

"What was his name?"

"Who, his father?" Why would he care who his father was?

"Aye."

"No one in Storybrooke. But if you must know, his name was Neal." His eyes flashed with a hint of remembrance but before I could ask him about it, the look disappeared.

"Neal. What a lovely name." Well, this was strange...

"Anyway, I came for my leather jacket." He turned and walked into his room without saying a word. Not long after, he reappeared, holding the familiar red jacket that I had come to love so much.

"Here you go, love," he said handing the jacket to me.

"Thank you, Killian."

"My pleasure, little thief." I smiled at his nickname for me. "But it _is_ in fact your jacket."

"Yeah, I know. But...I also wanted to thank you for the beans. It meant a lot."

"You know, love, you never told me how you knew about the beans." The last thing I wanted to tell him was that his ex-lover had sent me.

"Um, well, you know. Word gets around." Usually I was good at lying, but for some reason I was finding it impossible to lie to Killian.

"Come on, little thief. We both know that's not the case." He smirked at me, a look I would despise on anyone else but absolutely loved on him.

I sighed, giving in. "Regina...sent me." His face instantly darkened at the mention of the queen.

"And what did _her majesty_ want with these beans?" The way he was speaking, it sounded more like the man that Henry had described: a man of vengeance.

"We're going back to the Enchanted Forest."

"Ahhh, running away from her problems, as always."

"First off, that problem was _you_. And secondly, she's not running. She's looking for someone."

"Someone not affected by the curse? Who might this be?"

"Why do you care?" I asked.

"Because if this person is dangerous, I might have to prevent you from going with her. I need to protect you." His protectiveness was sweet and all, but that's not why I was here.

"Well, he's not. And I should probably get going. Henry will be wondering where I am."

"Wait, Emma." It was the first time he had ever used my real name. "Be careful." And before I could say anything, he was kissing me. "I know that you were just here for Regina last night, but I hope at least some of it actually meant something. I-" Before he could say any more of his speech, I leaned in and kissed him again.

"Mom?" I heard a familiar voice say from behind me.

Shit, I thought at the same time I heard Killian mumble "bloody hell".

"Mom," Henry said again. "It's been ten minutes. I thought something might be wrong…" He trailed off looking from me to Killian and back to me. "I'm guessing you must be Captain Hook."

"That I am, lad. And what's your name?" Killian didn't seemed at all fazed by the fact that my son had just walked in on us.

"Henry. It's nice to meet you." He turned to me. "Mom, do you mind going to the car? I'll be there in a few minutes."

I raised an eyebrow. There was no way I was leaving my son with a pirate, I don't care how nice the pirate was. "I don't think so, kid. Anything you have to say to him, you need to say in front of me."

"Fine," he sighed. He turned to Killian. "Hook, do you want to come to the Enchanted Forest with us?"

"What!?" I screamed. There was no way. Regina would kill me.

"See, this is why you should've waited in the car."

"Look, lad, I don't think your mother would approve of me tagging along, nevermind Regina."

"Yeah, I know, it's just…" he stopped.

"Henry what is it?" He seemed almost worried in a way. No not worried. Sad?

"It's just, you and Hook," he laughed shaking his head. "Seeing him, and seeing the way you two act together made me think of how you would've been if my father hadn't left." The whole boat was still. It seemed almost as though the wind were echoing Henry's words. Did we really seem that close to Henry? Killian and I only knew each other for a few hours.

I suddenly thought of the way I'd been feeling since I met Killian. Reading him so easily, almost like I could read his mind. Talking to him so casually, not being able to lie to him. And the way the world had stopped when we had met...

"Henry," I managed to say. "Can we speak for a second?" I glanced at Hook. "Privately?"

"I'll leave you two be," Hook said. He could either sense my tension...or he had come to the same conclusion I had.

"No, Hook. You can stay." Henry looked straight at me. "Anything my mom has to say she can say in front of both of us."

"Okay..." I turned my attention to Henry, trying to ignore the fact that Killian was staring at me. "Do you...do you think he's my true love...?" Henry smiled the minute I said it. I didn't dare look at Killian. He probably thought I was insane. I hadn't even known him for 24 hours, and here I was saying we were in love.

"Duh, Mom. I see the way you two look at each other."

"And how would you know what true love looks like?"

"Have you forgotten who my grandparents are?" he countered. I sighed, surrrendering the fight.

"And who are your grandparents, lad?" I heard Hook say. I jumped; I had almost forgotten he was there.

"Snow White and Prince Charming," he said proudly. I finally mustered the courage to look at Killian. He was staring at me, but not the way I thought he would be. He wasn't disgusted or confused. He didn't even seem bothered by this fact. They way he was looking at me was like all the puzzle pieces finally created the beautiful picture. I knew that my face must've been a reflection of his. No there was no way. Killian wasn't my true love. Neal was. I knew that the moment I had met Neal. What Killian and I had was lust, not love. "So, Mom," Henry's voice ripped me from my thoughts. "Can Hook come?"

"I don't think so, kiddo. Your mom would kill me, literally." Henry's face fell, along with Killian's, but they nodded, understanding. "We should probably go, we have some planning to do tomorrow." I turned to Killian. "Thank you, again. For everything. When I return from this trip..." I trailed off. Where was I going with this?

"You'll find me," he whispered, almost to himself.

"Until we meet again, Captain _Killian_," I smiled, making sure to call him Killian.

He smiled at his name. "Yes, little thief. Until then."

**A/AN: So I was thinking about Neal lately and started wondering how he got the name "Neal" from Baelfire. And yeah, this is what I came up with. And I know the whole "You'll find me" thing was kinda cheap but it was ****_right there_**** and I just had to include it. Next chapter we'll finally figure out Regina's plan for the Enchanted Forest, so stay tuned dearie.**


	6. I Don't Think It's Love

The next morning, Henry and I quickly ate our breakfast at Granny's and drove to Regina's house. Henry was practically going to explode with excitement. I, on the other hand, not so much. I was still getting used to the whole "magical" aspect of the town, although it had been weeks since the curse had been broken. When Regina opened the door, I saw something on the queen's face I never thought I'd see: pure excitement.

"Emma, Henry, good to see you this morning. I hope you slept well last night. We have a lot of planning to do." Regina led us over to her dining room table. Normally adorned with apples placed neatly in a basket, the table now held a map, along with a few necessities for planning, such as packing lists and Regina's book of spells.

"So, Regina, what is our first step?" I asked. I wasn't really sure what exactly we were planning, but I hoped the planning was enough so that we could make it out of the Enchanted Forest alive.

"Well, the bag Hook gave you contained exactly 5 beans. Two of the beans have to be used for transportation to the Enchanted Forest and back to Storybrooke. So the other 3 can be used to take us to different parts of the Forest," she recited matter-of-factly. I looked to Henry for his opinion on this plan.

"Wait, Mom. What exactly are we going to the Enchanted Forest for?" Henry asked. Regina and I looked at each other. So Regina hadn't told him the story yet. This was her story, so I waited for her to start talking.

"Well, Henry," she replied nervously. "You see, I need to find someone there. Someone very important to me who wasn't affected by the curse."

"Who is it?" the ever-curious boy asked.

"It's, well, it's my true love." The boy's eyes instantly brightened at the idea of his mother having a true love other than her lost stable boy.

"Really? That's awesome, mom! Now both of my moms will have their true loves in their lives." Uh-oh. Regina looked at me with a confused look. At looked at Henry with a "thanks kid" kind of face.

"Oh, really? And who is your true love, Emma?"

Without missing a beat, Henry responded. "It's Captain Hook." I could almost feel Regina's glare pierce through me.

"Look, Henry," I replied, "I really don't think Killian's my true love."

"Killian?" Regina asked me. "Since when did you two get so close to call each other by your real names?" The way Regina was asking me this though, she wasn't mad. In fact she looked…amused.

"Wait, Regina, you aren't mad?" This wasn't the response I was expecting. I was expecting rage, anger, hurt. Instead I got amusement, smiling, and happiness for me.

"Of course I'm not mad. I'm getting my happy ending. It's only right that you can get yours too." And every word she said, I could tell, was genuinely true. Wow, the things love did to someone.

"Thank you, Regina. I mean it. That means a lot coming from you."

"Now," she said, "back to planning." The light in her eyes made me smile. For the first time in forever, Regina had a true smile on her face.

* * *

By the afternoon, all of the details of the trip were planned. We would use the first bean to transport us from Storybrooke to Regina's castle, where she would pick up a few "ingredients" as she called them. From there, we would transport to Mary Margaret and David's castle, where we would look around the kingdom for this mystery man. If this person was still not found, we'd transport to Lake Nostros. Regina and Henry filled me in on the magical properties of this lake's water. The water would be another ingredient in the potion Regina would make. From Lake Nostros, we'd walk to Rumpelstiltskin's castle, where the final ingredients for the potion would be found.

The potion Regina planned to make, Henry had told me, was similar to one that Mr. Gold had once used to help my parents find each other. Only this one had been tweaked a bit by Regina. The potion would be poured onto the fourth bean, which, when thrown on the ground, would take us exactly where her true love was.

* * *

Before going home, Henry and I payed a visit to his grandparents. We didn't know, however, that we would find all _three_ of his grandparents there, and not just Mary Margaret and David.

"Hey, Mr. Gold," Henry greeted. "What's going on?"

"Oh, not much, my boy. And Miss Swan. Exactly the person I needed to see. You remember that favor you owe me, Miss Swan? I'm cashing it in." Who was I the town traveler? I sighed.

"It's not a good-" I start. But Gold cuts me off.

"You _do_ honor your agreements, don't you? I need to find someone, so we're leaving."

"Leaving?" Mary Margaret asked at the same time I replied with, "Look, Gold, I can't leave right now."

"Why not?"

"I'm helping Regina with something. So as soon as we get back, I'll immediately help you with your search," I assured him.

"Is this the thing she told me about? The 'finding her true love'?" I had forgotten she had asked Gold for help.

"Yes, it is."

"Very well, I suppose there's no stopping Regina from finding true love. And as your parents know, I'm a fan of true love, dearie. And more importantly, what it creates." He was staring at me with that last line, and I knew that he was referring to my "Savior" abilities.

"Well, Gold, I guess that means I'll see you when I return."

"Yes, dearie. Indeed."

* * *

Mary Margaret, David, Henry and I all laughed as we ate dinner together. After some time, Mary Margaret looked at David and, almost as though this were a silent signal between them, David looked at Henry.

"Hey, Henry. You wanna go play around with those swords a bit?" Henry had instantly brightened at the idea, and the two left the table to go off and play Prince. I looked at Mary Margaret.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get rid of Henry." Mary Margaret smiled. I knew her so well. And suddenly it wasn't my mother that I was looking at. I wasn't talking to the same woman who gave me up and abandoned me. I was talking to my roommate from so long ago, back before anyone knew of the curse.

"Well, I needed to talk to you. Alone."

"Well, go ahead," I pressed. "I'm listening."

"Tell me about Hook. What is he _actually_ like? I was talking to Charming and he portrayed him as a thieving, drinking pirate. But the way you talk about him…" she trailed off.

"...He sounds nothing like the thieving, drinking pirate you heard about?" I asked.

"Emma, be honest with me. Do you love him?" I looked at Mary Margaret, thinking long and hard about my answer. She already knew that I loved him; I had told her and David that yesterday. But I knew what she was really asking: _Is it true love?_

"I'm not sure. Henry seems to think so. You and David seem to think so. Even Regina. Everyone thinks so…except me and Killian."

"Love isn't something you _think_, Emma. It's something you _feel_. And like it or not, when you talk about Hook, um, Killian, you _feel _something. I can see it in your eyes. It's the same way your father and I look at each other." There was a long silence that filled the room. I was stuck thinking about the past few days. Everything I felt with Killian, it was more than anything I ever felt with Neal. There was more passion, more lust...and more love. As much as it killed me to admit it, I loved Killian. And no one, not even Neal, could change that.

"How did you do it?" I mumbled to Mary Margaret.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Let David know you love him."

"Well," she thought, "everyone's story is different. With us, it just so happened that we both needed rescuing very often. We protected each other. Of course, a nice 'I love you' doesn't hurt either." Killians words on the Jolly Roger yesterday echoed through my head. _I need to protect you_, he had vowed. Was it true? Would he protect me no matter what? Before I had a chance to ponder that, the phone rang.

"Hello?" Mary Margaret answered. "Oh, she's right here." She handed the phone to me. "It's Regina."

"Regina?"

"Emma, we need to talk."

"What is it? What's going on?"

"It's your pirate. He wants to come with us. Says that he needs to protect you or something…" She paused. "And I told him he could come."

"You did _what_?" I yelled. Mary Margaret jumped at the sudden change in the mood.

"I know, I know, I should've asked you first but, Emma. I think he really does love you." Why was everyone turning all soft and lovable on me!? Killian couldn't come! It was too dangerous. I did want him getting hurt...I stopped myself.

"Fine, you know what, I'll deal with this tomorrow, okay? Goodnight." Regina started to say something, but I had already hung up.

"Emma, what's wrong? Is everything okay?" Mary Margaret questioned. "Emma?"

"Killian… He's coming to the Enchanted Forest with us. He wanted to protect me," I told her. "He loves me. And I love him."

"You know, he won't know you love him unless you tell him so." I nodded.

"Thank you, Mary Margaret. I'm gonna go get Henry. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Good luck, sweetie," she said as she hugged me. "And don't worry about this pirate. True love will always work itself out."

**A/AN: Hope you guys liked this chapter! I've been having a bit of writer's block lately, so I'm not sure if the next chapter will be ready by next week. I promise I'll get it up ASAP! What's in store for our crew in the Enchanted Forest? Will everything go smoothly for Regina? Stay tuned to find out!**


	7. 2:15 AM

When I went to bed that night, I lay awake, unable to rest. The sleeping world around me was oblivious to the thoughts that swirled in my mind.

Naturally, I thought about Killian and what everyone believed to be our "true love." Was what we had really true love? Of course, I already knew the answer to that: yes. Even Killian was starting to believe it. But whether I was ready to believe was a completely different question. What had Snow said earlier? "True love will always work itself out." But what about Neal? He was the only thing preventing me from loving Killian the way I should. I always thought I'd never love anyone the same way, and in a way, that's still true. Neal is still the person I think of whenever I ride in that Yellow Buggy that we had stolen. Neal is still the person I think of when I find myself near any type of carnival ride, which is not often. Neal is still the person who makes me want to find my home. I loved Neal, and I loved Killian. But neither love was the same. "Everyone's story is different." Mary Margaret's words echoed through my mind.

"Mom?" I heard Henry's voice say, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Hey, kid. Shouldn't you be in bed?" I glanced at the clock. 2:15 A.M. He should've been sleeping hours ago. "How long have you been up?"

"Not long. 10 minutes. I was sleeping but I had a bad dream, and I couldn't go back to sleep." Henry was a little old to be scared by bad dreams, so I knew something had to be up with that story.

"C'mon, Henry. What's really going on?" He sighed.

"Well, I've been thinking...about you. And Hook."

"That makes two of us. And what were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about my dad. And how you always thought he was 'the one'. And I think deep down, you still think that." Damn, why did I have to give birth to the most observant kid in the world? It was like I was an open book.

"What makes you think that?" I paused. "How do you know?" He smiled when he realized his assumptions were correct.

"When you realized that he was your true love on the boat, you pushed him away. You didn't want it to be true, so it wasn't. But after we visited Grandma and Grandpa, something changed. I'm not sure what you heard that changed your mind, but it must've been good for you to forget about my dad." To my surprise, he almost looked as though he would cry.

"Henry? Henry, what's wrong?" It was the same look he had when I had mentioned his father a few days ago at the diner... "Henry, do you want your father and me together?" It was absurd. Completely and utterly absurd. Henry was the one who had realized Killian and I were each other's true love. But at the same time...it wasn't absurd. What kid _doesn't_ want his parents to be together? It was every kid's dream: that picture perfect family. I knew the feeling all too well. Before I could dwell on the thought too much, Henry began speaking.

"Look Mom, Hook seems like a great guy and all but...he's just not my dad. I'm really happy for you but I just wish it could be with my dad." I sighed. Henry knew the whole story of his father, so I wasn't sure why he wanted to know his father.

"We've been over this before, kid. Your father was not the type of person you'd want to mee-"

"But what if I want to meet him? Just see what he was like for myself? Who knows, maybe he changed."

"People don't change, Henry." Not Neal, I added mentally.

"You changed," he countered. "When you got here, there was no way you were prepared for anything in this town. And now, now you're on your way to the Enchanted Forest to help the Evil Queen find true love! The Emma I brought here wouldn't do that. She wouldn't even believe that. But you do." His speech had exhausted him, and he began to walk out the door.

"You don't know him," I whispered to myself. He turned around.

"No, I don't," he said. And he continued on to his room.

* * *

Henry and I, both exhausted from staying up the night before, drove to Regina's house in silence. Or maybe it was the turn of events from that night. Regardless, neither said a word until we reached Regina's.

Regina gave us one look and commented, "Well, I'm glad to see you two got a goodnight's sleep." Her sarcastic comment woke me up. I realized what was about to happen. I was about to go to a magic forest with magical beings and beans and true love. It was all too much for me to take alone. But as I realized this, I also realized I wasn't alone. Because from behind Regina, a familiar and comforting face appeared.

"There you are, little thief. I was beginning to think you weren't gonna show." I smiled at Killian as a greeting. He seemed to sense that I was anxious, and immediately came to my side. I wanted to push him away, but I couldn't. No force on Earth could pull me from Killian.

Henry turned away from the sight of us, probably still upset that I had forgotten about his father. Little did Henry know, I didn't. I still loved Neal, and I probably always will. But loving him couldn't bring him to Storybrooke or any other magical place. Even if it could, I wouldn't want Neal to get involved. I was finding it hard to believe in magic, and I was a magical being myself. I couldn't begin to imagine what any mentally sane human being would think. Besides, I was doing what I knew was best for me and for Henry. I was moving on from Neal.

"Okay, Regina," I said. "Is everything ready?"

"Just about. Except one thing." She gave each of us a backpack. When I looked in the bag, I found necessities like matches and flashlights. "There we go. Now we're ready."

"Well, let's get going." I just wanted the trip to be over and done with. And when I got back, I had another trip waiting for me with Gold. I just couldn't rest, could I?

Regina threw the bean on the ground and I held on to Killian for dear life. This was my first time witnessing a magical act, and it was freaking scary. A portal opened in front of me, just like the one from my dream about Neal. It was like my nightmare was coming to life. I thought for sure Killian would leave me and I'd be alone. But Killian held me close as we jumped into the portal. Henry followed our example and jumped in after us, followed by Regina.

It took a minute to get used to my surroundings. We hadn't landed in the forest, but inside Regina's castle. At one end of the room we landed in was a vanity with a mirror attached to it. The vanity was cluttered with various boxes which I assumed to be jewelry boxes. At the other end of the room were large, important-looking doors which I recognized in Henry's book as Regina's vault of hearts. I thought I was going to be sick.

I looked around to my traveling companions. Killian was still holding on to me, but didn't look the least bit shake by the journey. He was, of course, the one who had the beans originally, so naturally, he'd be used to it. Henry didn't seem affected by the portal either. He looked like a five-year-old who was going to Disney for the first time. He was in awe of everything around him and I realized it was because the castle was no longer an illustration, but an actual real live place.

Regina was the only person who looked exactly as I felt. I knew Regina was used to magic, so she couldn't have been shaken by the portal. No, the feeling she had was much deeper than my own. For her, I could see a lifetime of memories come flooding back to her.

"Regina," I called, and she seemed to snap out of her daze. "What are we looking for here?"

Regina answered, "Oh don't worry. We won't have to look too far." She walked over to the vanity and picked up one of the jewelry boxes. To my surprise, when she opened it, it wasn't filled with jewels, but ingredients. Regina picked a few, labeled _Horn of a Unicorn_, _Clouds_, _Fairy Dust_, and _Asphodel_. "There we go," Regina said. "This is all we need."

"Oh, that was...easy." I hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.

"Don't worry, love," Killian smirked. "It gets harder."

"He's right," Regina replied. "The only reason this was easy was because I put a protection spell up before the curse, to protect my castle. No one could possibly get in. All of the other castle could have people living there, and if they do the people will likely not be very welcoming of me." Her eyes shift towards Killian. "Or your captain over here."

"Why?" Henry's voice chirped up. "What did you do?" He already knew about his mother's, er, troubles, so I figured he was referring to Killian. Honestly, I had been wondering the same thing, but I was nervous about asking.

"Oh, nothing specific," Killian replied nonchalantly. "People just tend not to like pirates." Regina, Killian and I all knew that wasn't the case, but I let it go. If he wanted to tell me about his past then he could. If not, who was I to pry.

"Well, we can figure out what to do about the others when we come across them. For now," I looked at Regina, "lead the way."

Regina threw the next bean onto the ground and it was only then that I realized how much magic we'd be using. _Crap_, was all I could think as Killian and I jumped into the portal.

From behind me, I could hear Henry's voice. "Heigh ho, heigh ho, it's off to Snow's we go."

**A/AN: There you go, guys! I hope it was worth the wait. As you can see, our friends have just landed in the Enchanted Forest. Who knows what it has in store for them? Hopefully the next chapter will be a bit quicker than this one.**


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